About Me

Living in the Loire Valley and running a small restaurant/tea room/B & B for the past 9 years has been in the main an absolute joy. We have had some tricky times and I cannot deny it such as the road outside our business being in a state of disrepair for two years, but this was because essential maintenance and repairs were being carried out. Of course there is that old saying about every cloud having a silver lining and in fact we do now have a nice pavement outside Chez Teresa so everything looks much more attractive then it did prior to the renovations and we can now put out tables and chairs for al fresco eating.

In many ways Fontevraud l’abbaye in the Loire Valley is an idyllic village to live in and run our business. Full of historical, cultural and architectural gems not to mention the glory that is the countryside with its rich wealth of vineyards, deep forests and rolling fields which in summer time are filled with an abundance of produce and sunflowers. It istherefore no surprise that thousands of visitors flock here each year not only to visit the magnificent abbey where Eleanor of Aquitaine spent her last days (we are literally next door), but also to enjoy the other attractions on our doorstep.

My passion is for baking and collecting all things vintage, so this is why I have started this blog to share recipes, tips and stories and also to share reflections about life in Fontevraud; what it is like to run a small business here as an expat and to give readers some of the gossip. I love the fact that on any one day we can meet people from all over the world, so no two days are the same. When customers enjoy our cooking this is the greatest compliment that my partner Tony and I could receive. On any one day our customers could be from Russia, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, India, China, Denmark, Australia and of course France or the UK to name but a few countries where our customers hail.

My background is arts project management and to a degree journalism, as I’ve written for a number of publications over the years. Originally from Sevenoaks and then Tunbridge Wells in Kent, my husband Tony and I had been planning to move to France for a number of years..Seemingly just a pipe dream we first thought of moving to France back in 1989 when I came over to Northern France as part of my work to host – as part of a team – an arts conference at the Jean Renoir Centre in Dieppe. The family came over after the conference had concluded and we stayed in the medieval quarter of Rue Bethancourt just off the quayside in Dieppe and spent some of the time dreaming about the possibility of moving to France and starting a business. Fast forward to 2006 and we did just that and opened Chez Teresa/A Taste d’Angleterre.